First Kisses
by LobsterLobster
Summary: It's important to take time to enjoy the sweet moments in life, now more than ever since the world as we know it has ended. Chapter 3: Michonne loses her balance on the rail road beam and has to follow whatever dare Carl comes up with!
1. Chapter 1 - Something Sweet

First Kisses

Summary: This story is going to be a series of one-shots. Each chapter will be a new possible romantic moment. I hope you like it!

A/N: The first chapter features Richonne! Actually most of my ideas revolve around Rick and Michonne, but I may add stories for other pairings too!

…

Chapter 1 – Something Sweet

Rick stood up and looked around the small church house. The festive atmosphere had died down as people started to settle in for the night.

Gabriel passed around some spare blankets then retreated to his office. Abraham was busy cleaning their weapons, making sure everything was in working order. Daryl and Carol were talking quietly on the last pew by the door. Sasha and Bob were cuddled up together on two benches pushed close for a makeshift bed.

Judith was sleeping in her little cardboard box turned crib. Carl sat beside her, munching on the last few roasted pecans. The sight of his two children together warmed Rick's heart. He was proud of how Carl had stepped up and taken on more responsibility in caring of his sister.

In the morning they would gather up their supplies and set off on their journey. Rick knew he would feel better the further they got away from Terminus and anyone who might still be alive back there.

Rick slipped his hand into the pocket of his jacket to check that he still had it.

He walked to the rear of the church and opened one of the large double doors to see Michonne sitting on the top step, assault rifle resting across her knees. She had volunteered to take the first watch.

"Hey," she greeted him, moving her gun to the side so Rick could sit down beside her.

They were quiet for a while, watching the dark woods around the church.

Michonne didn't need to ask why he'd come out there. During those weeks on the road to Terminus, they'd developed a routine. After Carl fell asleep, they would keep watch together for a while before whoever had decided to take the first shift would tell the other to get some rest.

It was a comfortable habit and most days it was the only time that they had a few minutes of peace together.

"Do you think it's true," Michonne spoke up, "that there's a cure?"

"Of course I want it to be true," she continued, "Maggie, Glenn, Bob, they all seem to believe it. But what do you think?"

Rick paused before answering, "I don't know if it's true or not. I can't get much of a read on Eugene yet… It is a little hard to believe, after everything we've seen, you know?"

Rick was thinking about what he'd seen in Atlanta, how the streets of the city were full of walkers, and of what Dr. Jenner had said at the CDC. But then again, after the Governor had rolled a tank over the prison fences, Rick had thought he would never see the rest of his family again and here they were.

"If you're not sure about DC, why did you agree to go?" Michonne asked, looking at him directly. She wasn't accusing, just curious.

Rick put his hands in his pockets and answered thoughtfully, "The most important thing now is that we all stick together. We can't get separated again. And we need to put as much distance between us and Terminus as we can. North is as good a direction as any."

Michonne nodded and they fell into an easy silence again, thinking their own thoughts. The moon was bright in the sky.

"I got something for you," Rick said casually.

Surprised, Michonne looked at him curiously. It was strange to hear that phrase. A lighthearted surprise was something that belonged in the old world.

"What?" she asked.

Rick grinned slyly and pulled his hand out of his pocket, holding it out to her.

"Whoa! Where did you find this?" Michonne gasped, picking up the bag of Hershey's Kisses.

"It was in the stuff from the food pantry," Rick said, pleased with her reaction.

She tore the bag open and inspected the contents. They appeared intact, dry and only moderately misshapen from melting and re-solidifying.

"And you hid it?" Michonne asked, "For me?"

Rick nodded; thrilled that he could get her to smile like that. She usually reserved her brightest smiles for when she was goofing around with Carl, so Rick was proud that he'd finally earned one for himself.

"You're a sneaky one, Rick Grimes," she teased, "You weren't even going to share with Carl?"

Rick laughed, "I thought you'd appreciate it most. And besides, I know you'll share with Carl anyway."

"Thank you," Michonne said as she unwrapped a candy and popped it in her mouth, savoring the sweetness.

Glancing up to make sure that the coast was still clear, Michonne reached into the little bag of chocolates.

"Rick, do you want a kiss?"

Rick's eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat. _Was this it?_ He was caught off guard but there was really only one answer to that question and he knew he had to say it while he had the chance.

"Yes," Rick answered in a soft tone.

Michonne turned to look at him directly and at the same moment that Rick realized she was talking about a Hershey's kiss, Michonne realized that he thought she was talking about a real kiss.

The warrior woman broke into a smile, "I meant a chocolate kiss!"

"Yeah, I know, I want a chocolate kiss," Rick recovered clumsily, "that's what I meant."

He reached for the bag of candies, trying to play it cool, but she pulled it just out of his reach.

"No you didn't," Michonne said and her small smile was a little bit amused and a little bit something else.

Rick's words froze in his throat. Her face was only inches away from his and the softness of the moonlight on her skin made it hard to look away.

Before Rick could properly process what was happening, Michonne leaned forward and kissed him tenderly on the lips.

She pulled away slowly, eyes searching Rick's face for confirmation that she'd done the right thing.

He wasn't moving but the kiss felt like a physical jolt to his mind, like when he was a kid standing on the very edge of the diving board, jumped once, twice, that was too high, the water was too far below, felt himself about to fall but stopped himself just before he was too far over.

"Sorry," Michonne said and turned her head away, mistaking his hesitation for a rejection.

_You climbed all the way up here, you wanted to do this. There's nothing to be afraid of. Just jump already!_

Finally, Rick's thoughts lurched back into gear.

"Michonne," he'd always secretly loved saying her name.

He touched her cheek and gently turned her face back towards him. She looked uncertain but didn't stop him. Rick purposefully closed the space between them. The kiss was tentative at first but turned warm and lingering as he felt her relax.

"Michonne…" he said, resting his forehead against hers, "I wanted to tell you thank you."

"For what?"

"For everything. For always standing by my side, for being there for Carl, it means everything. I know I don't say this kind of thang much but I need you to know that I don't ever take you for granted."

"That was beautiful, Rick," she smiled affectionately, "There's nowhere else I'd rather be, anyway."

A breeze ruffled the trees across the street, reminding them both that the peaceful night could change at any moment.

Michonne took Rick's hand and draped his arm around her shoulders. They sat close together, drawing comfort from each other.

"This is nice," Michonne said quietly.

Rick wasn't sure if she meant sitting there with his arm around her, or that he had finally, albeit inadvertently, revealed his feelings for her, or just having four walls and roof to spend the night in.

_Maybe all of it._ Rick smiled. He threaded his fingers through hers.

"So, are you going to give me a chocolate or not?"

…

The End!

A/N: Poor Rick got caught off guard and ended up confessing his love!

As far as the show goes, I think the only thing keeping Rick and Michonne from getting together is they're constantly running and fighting to survive. I don't think Rick will let his guard down enough until they find somewhere safe to live, but that doesn't mean we won't get some Richonne family bonding moments along the way! I'm optimistic here!


	2. Chapter 2 - Close Your Eyes

Summary: Michonne returns to the prison with a surprise for Rick.

A/N: This one-shot was my submission to the Holiday Exchange 2014 Collection posted by PrintDust! This was my prompt: Rick, Michonne, sparks fly… Convenient, huh? (considering that's the summary of about 95% of my stories anyway, haha) Go check out the other Fic Exchange stories too!

….

Close Your Eyes

It was late afternoon when then prison gates clanked shut behind the pick-up truck. Michonne drove up the hill to the parking area near the cell blocks. Glenn and Maggie jumped out to start unloading.

"Daddy, you won't believe what we found!" Maggie called.

Hershel headed over from where he had been helping Carol set up for the evening meal.

Michonne retrieved her sword from the rack at the back of the truck cab and walked around to the back of the truck.

She let down the tailgate and pulled one of the full canvas bags to the edge, checking that the contents were safe and sound.

Carol came over to help them unload, smiling when she saw what they'd brought, but Michonne paused, looking around to see if anyone else was coming.

She'd gotten used to the sight of Carl running to greet her, followed shortly by Rick, whenever she returned from a trip outside the prison fences, but now the father and son duo were nowhere to be seen.

_Carl must have finished his chores and gone inside. But where is –_

"Rick's over there," Hershel supplied as if he had read her mind, nodding towards the garden with a knowing smile.

Michonne smiled her thanks and looked back at the row of canvas bags in the back of the truck. She scooped up a handful of blueberries and walked casually across the gravel driveway.

It was late summer and the corn stalks had grown tall. Michonne wandered through the rows slowly, enjoying the peace, before she found what she was looking for.

Rick Grimes knelt in the dirt, digging up weeds and tossing them aside, humming along to the music playing in his ears. Michonne reached out her hand to tap him on the shoulder.

"Oh!" he startled, dropping his trowel and fumbling to turn off his mp3 player as he stood up.

"You're back," Rick looked at her happily, "I, uh, didn't hear the gate."

"I got you something," Michonne smiled coyly.

Rick looked curious but also like he was trying hard not to look too curious.

"Close your eyes," Michonne instructed.

"What?" Rick frowned.

"You heard me," Michonne repeated, unable to hide a grin, "Close your eyes. Trust me."

"Alright," Rick agreed hesitantly.

He closed his eyes, shifted his feet uncertainly.

"Open your mouth," Michonne directed.

"Now, hold on," Rick peeked open one eye, having second thoughts about whether he wanted to play this game.

"Come on, Rick, just do it," she said, "It'll be good, I promise."

"Okay," he said slowly, closing his eyes again.

He opened his mouth slightly and Michonne took her hand out from behind her back. She chose a plump blueberry and popped it into Rick's mouth, watching his face expectantly.

Rick's trepidation gave way to pleasure as he realized what it was.

"I can't tell you the last time I ate a blueberry," Rick's smile sparkled in his eyes.

"We stumbled across a farm," Michonne said, popping a few berries into her mouth.

Rick shifted closer to her and put his hand under her hand that was holding the berries. He picked another blueberry to eat.

"We picked as much as we could before too many walkers showed up," Michonne explained while they shared the little stash of fruit, "maybe we'll go back again, bring some bushes for you to plant here."

"I'd love that," Rick said, and Michonne belatedly realized that they'd eaten all of the berries but he was still holding her hand.

There was something about the blue sky summer sunshine and the way Rick's eyes crinkled when he smiled at her and the reassuring warmth of his hand on hers that made Michonne feel like, after all those long months of wandering, that this, right here, was where she belonged.

_This is home now_, the small voice in her head whispered, and in that moment she believed it.

And so, she didn't pull away when Rick tilted his head the way he did when he was thinking hard about something, looked her directly in the eyes, and moved to kiss her. In fact, she even stood on her toes just a little bit and tilted her chin up to meet his kiss.

She closed her eyes, savoring the moment. The kiss was sweet and warm, promising many more in the future, and tasted faintly of blueberries, which Michonne decided right then and there were her favorite fruit.

The End!


	3. Chapter 3 - Dare

Dare

Summary: Rick, Michonne, Carl, and Daryl are on their way to Terminus. They have a long journey ahead of them and, to pass the time, Michonne and Carl play a game.

A/N: Here is a nice fluffy story to cheer you up while we wait for new episodes (where, hopefully, we'll finally see more Michonne)! Enjoy! :)

…..

Another day of walking stretched before them, another day closer to Terminus and the promise of shelter, community, all of it if it was true, but still several days away.

They stayed more or less on the railroad tracks during the days, plodding along, not in any huge hurry. Michonne didn't mind the slower pace. It gave them a little time to catch their breath before jumping into another big unknown.

Rick never complained, but he was still feeling the lingering effects of his fight with the Governor. And Daryl, before it was all over, had taken quite a beating from the thugs a few nights ago.

They kept moving because they had no other choice, and Terminus was as good a goal as any.

Michonne and Carl came up with a game to pass the time, to entertain themselves and, more importantly, to take Carl's mind off of things.

Once again, Michonne and Carl walked carefully, placing one foot directly in front of the other, arms outstretched to balance on the railroad beams. Carl had quickly gotten quite good at balancing on the thin beam.

Michonne focused on the task at hand, walking confidently, keeping pace with Carl, careful not to overcorrect her balance. She had long since given up trying to startle Carl, since it usually backfired. Their competition was more serious now. She settled for occasionally making weird faces, which usually got Carl to laugh and once or twice he had laughed so hard that he miss-stepped and fell off the beam.

"This is too easy," Michonne said suddenly, "I think we should make it harder." _You keep beating me!_

Moving carefully, Michonne turned her feet and twisted her body so that she was walking backwards.

"Hey, good luck with that," Carl said, smiling, refusing to take the bait.

Michonne frowned. Walking backwards was more difficult than she'd thought. Things were going well for a few minutes but then the beam started to curve a bit and Michonne's boot slid off the metal. She waved her arms a bit, trying to regain her balance, then gave up as her foot landed on the ground.

Carl smiled triumphantly.

"So, what's it gonna be this time," he asked, "Truth or dare?"

"Hmm," Michonne considered, "Dare."

They both walked on the wooden railroad ties now, almost catching up to Rick and Daryl. Daryl fell in beside them, acting like he wasn't curious about their game.

"Something new, though," Michonne told Carl, thinking back over their usual list of dares; sing the little teapot song with motions, eat the next bug that you find, do a funny dance.

"I can tell you right now, I am not eating another centipede. I'm not _that_ hungry," Michonne said.

"Okay, okay, I'll think of something new," Carl agreed.

They walked on for a while as Carl thought of a new dare. The rules were pretty simple. It couldn't be something that might actually hurt someone and had to be relatively quiet. Anything else was fair game.

"I've got something," Daryl spoke up for the first time, looking at Michonne with something close to mischief in his eyes. _Oh man, I'm in for it now._

"What?" Carl asked.

Daryl leaned down a bit and whispered something in Carl's ear.

"You sure?" Carl asked uncertainly.

Daryl nodded, "I'm sure. Trust me."

Carl thought about it a bit then decided he agreed. An impish smile spread across his features.

Michonne sighed in mock resignation. _How bad could it be?_

"Alright, what's the verdict?" she eyed Daryl suspiciously.

Carl glanced at Rick, a few yards ahead of them and just out of immediate earshot, then back at Michonne.

"I dare you to kiss my dad," Carl said.

"Wait, what?" Michonne wasn't sure she'd heard him right.

"You have to kiss my dad!" Carl said again, "A real kiss, on the lips."

Michonne hesitated, suddenly and uncharacteristically nervous.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea, Carl," she tried to dissuade him.

"A dare is a dare. You have to do it," Carl said boldly.

"Carl…" Michonne stalled. Great, now even Daryl was openly smirking at her.

"Are you afraid?" Carl challenged, enjoying her discomfort more than he should.

"No," she replied tartly.

"Then are you saying you would rather eat another centipede?" Carl asked smugly, "Because I'm sure I can find one around here…"

"Fine! I'll do it," Michonne relented, glaring at Carl and Daryl. _It's no big deal. It's just a game._

Michonne picked up her pace, closing the distance between herself and Rick. _Relax. It's not like you haven't thought about it before, anyway…._

Now walking beside Rick, Michonne glanced behind her. Daryl and Carl were hanging back a bit. Carl had a huge smirk on his face. Daryl gave her an encouraging thumbs-up. She rolled her eyes and ignored them.

Just play it cool. You can do this. It's no big deal, she attempted to quiet the butterflies in her stomach.

"Hey," Rick said lightly, "You lose again?"

"Yeah," Michonne said, making a face.

Rick smiled. He walked with his hands shoved in his jacket pockets. _Stop it. Since when do I get nervous?_

"Your son has excellent balance," Michonne said, stalling, "You should be proud."

Rick smiled again, blue eyes twinkling curiously, "What'd he trick you into doing this time?"

_It's only a dare. Just do it. Don't think and just do it. _

Michonne stopped walking.

Confused, Rick stopped too, "What is it?"

Michonne took a deep breath and let it out, gathering her resolve. She stepped closer to Rick, reached up and put her hands on his shoulders. She hesitated for a second but Rick didn't move, didn't say anything; he waited. _It's been years since I kissed someone…_

Standing on her toes just enough to reach, Michonne leaned in close and kissed Rick on the lips. She lingered a fraction longer than she would have if it was only a dare, if it didn't mean anything.

Before she could pull away and laugh it off, maybe say 'that was some dare, huh?' she felt Rick's lips pressing back against her own. And just like that, her carefully guarded control slipped from her shoulders like a discarded robe. Rick felt so close, and real, and warm, and this was exactly what she wanted. Unafraid, Michonne moved a hand to touch his face and kissed him deeply, losing track of the seconds swirling by them.

They pulled apart slowly, almost reluctant to yield to reality.

Whoohoo – Daryl whistled from somewhere behind them.

_Oh, God!_ Michonne felt a huge rush of embarrassment. _I did not just do that!_ Without looking back at Daryl and Carl, Michonne turned on her heels and set off at a brisk pace along the train tracks. _Be cool._

"Terminus isn't getting any closer," she called.

….

A/N: I might make a Part 2 for this chapter, to see Rick's reaction…we'll see.

I still think Rick and Michonne are going to get together. There's all the interviews hinting about it, all the scenes with Michonne taking care of Carl and little Judith, how Rick never makes a decision until he talks it over with Michonne first, Rick asking her if she misses the sword…it makes sense! (But then again, I was also optimistic that Beth was going to live…bah.)


	4. Chapter 4 - Dare - Part 2

Previously on The Walking Dead – First Kisses: Carl dared Michonne to kiss his dad (a real one, on the lips!) and she accepted the challenge.

A/N: You asked for it, and here it is! Rick is always so serious, so it was fun to write something a little more lighthearted for him. I hope you like it!

…..

Dare – Part 2

Rick Grimes opened his eyes slowly. He stared, hypnotized by the soft look in Michonne's deep brown eyes. He rarely got to look at her so closely; he couldn't believe how beautiful she was. He felt the lingering hum of her kiss on his lips, like the buzz of cicadas on the first day of summer.

He was a heartbeat away from pulling her into his arms and kissing her again when Daryl's loud whistle broke the spell.

Rick winced in embarrassment. In those few seconds, he'd all but forgotten about Daryl and Carl.

Michonne spun away from him and sauntered off along the railroad tracks, saying 'let's get a move on' or something along those lines.

Daryl and Carl started walking again, Daryl patting Rick on the back as he passed his friend, Carl laughing at his father's dazed reaction.

The small group of survivors walked on, as they had the days before, plodding along the weather-worn railroad ties, listening for movement in the surrounding woods. Rick lagged behind them, lost in thought.

_She likes me after all!_ Rick could scarcely believe his luck. _She does feel something for me! Michonne would never kiss someone unless she wanted to, dare or not. That was definitely a real kiss…it felt real._

Carl had never been very good at whispering. He would always get excited and end up talking just a bit louder than he realized. Rick smiled, feeling quite pleased with himself. He really had much better hearing than people gave him credit for.

Crack! A sharp noise startled Rick. He looked around for danger before noticing the broken stick under his foot.

_Focus_, he instructed himself sternly, _You have to stay alert out here. Don't let your guard down, not for anything._

With that grim reminder in his mind, Rick managed to spend the next twenty-three minutes focused on his surroundings, alert for danger.

Inevitably, Rick's thoughts fell back to Michonne. He thought about how she always seemed to find him right when he needed her most, how she always kept her cool, she always knew what to do, how she could make Carl smile so easily when Rick hadn't been able to do that for months on end…how she never made him feel like he was falling short of expectations, which was so easy to do, how she always seemed to understand…

Knowing that Michonne cared about him, at least enough to share an impromptu kiss, felt like opening to the first page of a book that'd been resting by his bedside for weeks, him all the while meaning to read it but never quite working up to that first step. Now he couldn't put it down.

Everything that Rick felt for the beautiful warrior woman had been stuffed deep in his heart, only half-acknowledged. Now he felt it all, forceful and real.

With a cold, sinking feeling, a darker thought spoke in his mind. _You've done the same thing again. Held your love inside, waiting until it was safe to say it out loud, but it will never be safe…_

Rick remembered the darkness that had swallowed him in the days after Lori died. When it happened, he still had love for her, he didn't hate her like she seemed to think, but he couldn't bring himself to confront that truth, and then it was too late. She died and he never got to tell her that he still loved her. That was the worst part, the failure that shamed him the most.

He'd made a promise to himself, over those months spent working in the garden with Hershel and Carl. He wouldn't make the same mistakes again. For a long time, he thought that meant he shouldn't make decisions for the group any more, but that wasn't really an option now.

_I won't make the same mistakes. I'm ready now. I'll confront things head on. No more self-doubt, no more guilt._

They walked easily until the sun started to dim. Only a handful of walkers stumbled out of the trees to bother them, each quickly dispatched with a swish of a steel blade or a well-aimed arrow. For the most part, they kept quiet and Rick was left alone with his thoughts.

_It isn't safe, not with us out here in the open like this. It's not safe._

…_but you can't decide when or where you fall in love. You have to tell her! You have to make sure she knows._ Rick held a running debate in his head.

First he would tell himself that he had to focus on surviving, getting them to safety. Then the warm memory of Michonne's kiss would flutter back up, and then he would resolve to tell her…_what? That I love her and can't live without her? Even if it's true, it's too much, too soon. _

Before it got too dark, they took a turn into the woods, looking for a good spot to settle down for the night. They made camp in a little clearing. A length of string with a few rusted cans tied between trees here and there served as a makeshift warning system.

Carl rolled out his bedroll, lifted from one of the thugs from the other night, and was asleep within minutes. Rick announced that he would take first watch and Daryl was soon asleep as well. Michonne took a walk around, checking the immediate area for danger. In the morning they would set about finding something to eat, maybe catch some squirrels if they were lucky.

Rick settled down with his back to a tree and watched the night fall on the forest. He wasn't surprised when Michonne returned and sat down next to him.

They had a routine. After Carl fell asleep, they would both sit by their small fire, if they had one, for an hour or so. Then one would tell the other 'get some sleep, I'll wake you for the next shift'. Usually they would talk about the daily things, what needed to be done in the morning, what they had to eat, the same old topics over and over.

_This time I won't talk about food. Or talk about how we always talk about food. _

"You're smiling again," Michonne said before Rick could say something clever like 'that was some dare, wasn't it?'

"Oh?"

"You've had that goofy smile all day," Michonne informed him.

Rick looked at her, looked at his feet, shrugged awkwardly. He looked at her again. He didn't know exactly what he wanted to put into words but he hoped she understood, somehow, like she always seemed to understand him.

Michonne spoke again, her voice a little softer, less teasing, "You like me that much, huh?"

This time Rick didn't look away. He could barely make out her expression in the deepening shadows.

"I do," Rick answered honestly.

There was a flash of a smile and then Michonne scooted closer to his side and leaned her head on his shoulder. Rick shifted and wrapped his arm around her.

"You comfortable?" he asked in a low voice.

"Mhmm," she murmured.

They sat like that for a long time, Rick staring off into the woods, Michonne drifting off to sleep cuddled up against him.

_This is good_, Rick thought, _This is how we should be._

…

A/N: I think it would be awesome if, on the show, Rick is the first one to confess his love to Michonne. See, he's already learned the hard way once not to wait until it's too late to say what he needs to. Michonne saved him from certain death at the hands of the Governor, she clearly adores his children, she'll do anything to help him…Rick needs to find a moment to make sure she know how much he appreciates (loves) her!


End file.
